International News
Reactions As Trump Gets Indicted By A Grand Jury
Reactions continue to follow news of the indictment of former U.S President, Donald Trump by a grand jury in Manhattan from all sides.
In a statement, Mr. Trump lashed out at the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, a Democrat, and portrayed the case as the continuation of a politically motivated witch hunt against him.
“This is political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history,” Mr. Trump said in the statement, calling Mr. Bragg “a disgrace” and casting himself as “a completely innocent person.”
Mr. Trump, who has consistently denied all wrongdoing, has already called on his followers to protest his arrest, in language reminiscent of his social media posts in the weeks before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by his supporters. He has also denied any affair with the porn star, Stormy Daniels, who had been looking to sell her story of a tryst with Mr. Trump during the 2016 campaign.
Online conversations about the indictment on Thursday seemed to reflect the absence of clear direction. QAnon accounts on Telegram began posting slogans associated with the conspiracy theory, such as “trusting the plan” and “the storm is upon us,” in support of Mr. Trump. Dan Bongino, a radio host who has echoed Mr. Trump’s false claims of voter fraud, wrote on Truth Social that “the police state is here.” Some users claimed that the indictment would only strengthen support for Mr. Trump and help him win re-election in 2024.
Mike Pence, who was Donald J. Trump’s vice president, defended his former running mate on Thursday night, describing Mr. Trump’s indictment in a hush-money case as “an outrage.”
“The unprecedented indictment of a former president of the United States on a campaign finance issue is an outrage,” Mr. Pence told the host Wolf Blitzer on CNN.
“President Trump did not commit any crime,” Mr. Trump’s lawyers, Susan R. Necheles and Joseph Tacopina, said in a statement. “We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.”
Chris Kise, a lawyer who represents Trump in a civil case brought by New York State, called the indictment “the lowest point in history for our criminal justice system. What was once the most respected and revered district attorney’s office in the nation has been fully bastardized by an opportunistic politician seeking, like many others, to cash in on the Trump brand. The complete lack of legal basis, coupled with the politically targeted nature of the prosecution, should strike fear into every citizen in this country irrespective of their views of President Trump.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who is expected to run but has not yet announced his campaign, called the indictment of Mr. Trump “un-American.” Vivek Ramaswamy, one of the lesser-known Republican contenders, also weighed in, condemning the indictment in a statement as undermining “public trust in our electoral system and our justice system” and urging other candidates to join him in denouncing it.
“This indictment is a long-overdue step in holding Trump accountable for his flagrant disregard for our laws and democracy,” said Jessica Velasquez, chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico. “The legal system is finally holding him accountable for past transgressions, but it’s up to the voters to hold him accountable in his current run for president.”
“Trump is being held accountable for breaking the law,” added Jane Kleeb, her counterpart in Nebraska.
“In America we believe in the rule of law,” Representative Ruben Gallego, who is running for the Senate in Arizona, said in a statement. “We should wait to hear from the grand jury before jumping to conclusions.”
Mayor Randall L. Woodfin of Birmingham, stressed that “grand juries are a serious matter.”
“Since 2016, American politics have been a mess, an embarrassing mess,” he said in an interview, saying that Mr. Trump had done things “where many just thought he was above the law. I want to be totally clear when I say this: Nobody’s above the law.”
In a statement, the Democratic National Committee made only a passing reference to the development before shifting to lash Republicans over more traditional political fare concerning abortion rights and the social safety net, as well as Republican efforts to undermine “free and fair elections.”
“No matter what happens in Trump’s upcoming legal proceedings, it’s obvious the Republican Party remains firmly in the hold of Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans,” said Ammar Moussa, a representative for the D.N.C. “We will continue to hold Trump and all Republican candidates accountable for the extreme MAGA agenda.”
Others, like Representative Adam B. Schiff, didn’t hold back. Mr. Schiff, who is running for the Senate in California and who led the first impeachment trial of Mr. Trump, is already fund-raising off the development.
“Donald Trump was just indicted,” the appeal said. “Adam has always championed progressive values and led the fight to protect our democracy. Now, taking his fight to Trump’s biggest defenders in the Senate is more important than ever.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee said that “the Deep State thinks this will destroy our movement and keep you quiet,” and invited supporters to “prove them wrong.”
An early evening email from the Defeat Republicans PAC reminded recipients that the indictment did not prevent Mr. Trump from being elected president in 2024, and that Mr. Trump still had the support of a substantial slice of the Republican base. The Fight for Progress PAC put things in more dire terms: “We need to do everything we can to STOP Trump and his enablers in Congress from destroying our democracy.”
On Steve Bannon’s War Room online broadcast, an influential program among Trump supporters, the former Trump administration official Sebastian Gorka called for supporters to “peacefully protest” the indictment. “We are going to see who are the politicians, who are the grifters, and who are the America First patriots,” he said. “This is a time of sorting.”
At 9 p.m., about 20 Trump supporters gathered just outside Mar-A-Lago in Florida in a show of solidarity. When asked why she made the trek to Palm Beach, Loxahatchee resident Georgia McGeerey said she had come to “fight for America.”
Lake Worth resident Nancy Sparks, 83, said the indictment was set off by Trump’s presidential run. “They said they would get him and they’re trying. It’s going to backfire and the Democrats are going to wish they didn’t mess with him,” she said.
The scattered response reflects the shift in Mr. Trump’s power since a large group of his supporters stormed the Capitol after he lost the 2020 election. In the years since, Mr. Trump’s political movement experienced multiple electoral defeats. Some supporters were jailed after the attack on the Capitol. The social media landscape shifted, and Mr. Trump’s digital reach remains limited by an obligation that he first post on Truth Social, the social network he started last year that has far fewer users than Twitter and Facebook.
International News
ICC Issues Arrest Warrants For Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Others
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a historic step, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The charges include crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during Israel’s recent assault on Gaza.
In a detailed statement, the ICC accused the Israeli leaders of “intentionally and knowingly depriving the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”
READ MORE: Osun Govt Decries Attempted Murder Of Park Mgt Chairman By Police
The ICC’s move marks a significant escalation in international scrutiny of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu and Gallant are alleged to have orchestrated policies that caused severe harm to the civilian population in Gaza, leading to widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.
Alongside the charges against Israeli officials, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. Deif has long been a central figure in Hamas’s military operations. Israel’s military claims to have killed him in a July airstrike, although this has not been independently verified.
The warrants highlight growing calls for accountability amid the ongoing conflict in the region. The ICC’s actions are likely to provoke heated debate and may complicate diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.
With the warrants issued, global attention now turns to how the international community will respond and whether any practical steps will be taken to enforce them.
International News
COP29: Climate Summit Faces Deadlock Over Vague Funding Proposals For Vulnerable Nations
As the 29th United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP29) nears its conclusion, tensions are rising over a newly published funding proposal aimed at assisting developing nations in addressing climate-induced crises.
The proposal, released by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on Thursday, has sparked widespread debate among delegations, activists, and observers at the summit.
The document, spanning ten pages, outlines funding options to support developing countries in implementing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
READ ALSO: Osun Explains N75,000 New Minimum Wage
However, it fails to specify how much wealthier nations are required to contribute annually—a key sticking point that has drawn criticism from the Global South and climate advocates.
Ambiguity in Funding Commitments
Critics argue that the absence of concrete figures undermines the credibility of the proposed framework.
Mohamed Adow, Founder and Director of Power Shift Africa, described the proposal as “a blank piece of paper,” highlighting the lack of clarity on financial commitments.
“This is the ‘finance COP.’ We came here to talk about money. The way you measure money is with numbers. We need a cheque, but all we have right now is a blank piece of paper,” Adow remarked during an interview.
The Global South, led by African delegations, is demanding at least $1.3 trillion annually by the end of the decade to adapt to climate change impacts and transition to sustainable energy systems.
Yet, developed nations have yet to commit to a specific annual figure, raising concerns over the summit’s ability to deliver tangible outcomes.
Key Provisions and Concerns
The new text acknowledges the disproportionate impact of climate change on developing nations and the financial barriers they face, including high costs of capital and limited fiscal space.
READ ALSO: NNPCL Launches Utapate Crude Oil Blend, Eyes Production Expansion In 2025
It proposes the establishment of a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for climate finance, suggesting a framework of “at least USD [X] trillion annually” from 2025 to 2035.
However, the absence of defined numbers has led to frustration among negotiators.
David Tong, Global Industry Campaign Manager at Oil Change International, emphasized the critical role of finance in achieving meaningful progress.
“Without finance, there is no phase-out [of fossil fuels], no energy transition, no adaptation. The ambitious options are simply missing,” Tong stated during a press briefing.
Rising Frustration from the Global South
Delegates from the Global South have expressed dissatisfaction with what they perceive as weak commitments from developed nations.
Many fear that without concrete financial pledges, the summit’s outcomes may fall short of expectations.
“This summit is about delivering justice to those who suffer most from climate impacts. Wealthy nations must step up and provide the necessary funding,” said an African negotiator, speaking on condition of anonymity.
A Critical Juncture
With less than 48 hours remaining in the summit, the stakes are high. The COP29 negotiations in Baku, dubbed the “finance COP,” are expected to set a precedent for addressing the financial needs of vulnerable nations.
Delegates are calling on world leaders to finalize an ambitious NCQG target and bridge the growing divide between developed and developing nations.
International News
Biden Approves Anti-Personnel Mines For Ukraine
In a significant policy move, U.S. President Joe Biden has authorised the transfer of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine, signaling heightened support for the country amid its ongoing struggle against Russian forces.
The decision underscores the administration’s commitment to bolstering Ukraine’s defensive capabilities as the conflict shows no signs of abating.
This announcement follows reports that Ukrainian forces have employed U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles to conduct precision strikes within Russian territory.
These developments have reportedly prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to modify elements of Russia’s nuclear doctrine, further intensifying global scrutiny of the conflict’s escalation.
READ MORE: Vinicius Jr. Honors Cameroonian Roots Ahead Of Brazil’s Clash With Uruguay
In addition to the mines, the U.S. is set to unveil a new $275 million military aid package for Ukraine in the coming days. The package is expected to include a range of munitions and equipment aimed at enhancing Ukraine’s operational readiness.
This move aligns with Washington’s broader strategy to maintain robust support for Kyiv, even as questions loom over potential shifts in U.S. foreign policy with the approaching transition to a new administration.
The U.S. government has remained steadfast in its support for Ukraine, with officials emphasizing that these measures are essential for helping Ukraine defend its sovereignty. The provision of anti-personnel mines, however, marks a controversial step, reflecting the urgency of the situation on the ground.
As the conflict continues, the Biden administration’s decisions will likely have profound implications not only for Ukraine but also for the broader geopolitical landscape, where tensions remain high and outcomes uncertain.